Journal of Pain Research (Jul 2023)

Clinical Efficacy Evaluation of Ultrasound-Guided C2 Dorsal Root Nerve Pulsed Radiofrequency Combined with Stellate Ganglion Block in the Treatment of Cervicogenic Headache: A Retrospective Cohort Study

  • Hua L,
  • Sha K,
  • Lu H,
  • Han Y,
  • Ou C,
  • Wang JL,
  • Zhang Y

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 16
pp. 2655 – 2663

Abstract

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Lu Hua,1,2,* Kaiyuan Sha,1,2,* HongCheng Lu,1,2 Ying Han,1,2 Cehua Ou,1,2 Jiang-Lin Wang,1 Yue Zhang1,2 1Department of Pain Management, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine Key Laboratory of Luzhou Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan Province 646000 People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jiang-Lin Wang; Yue Zhang, Department of Pain Management, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: To explore the therapeutic effect of C2 dorsal root ganglion pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) combined with stellate ganglion block (SGB) in patients with cervicogenic headache (CEH).Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 90 patients diagnosed with CEH who were admitted to our hospital between May 2019 and May 2022. All patients were divided into three groups (n = 30 each) according to the actual treatment method used: ultrasound-guided SGB, ultrasound-guided C2 dorsal root ganglion PRF treatment, and ultrasound-guided C2 dorsal root ganglion PRF combined with SGB treatment. Patients’ pain intensity, sleep, and mood changes were assessed by statistically analyzing their pain visual analog scale (VAS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI), and short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire affective item scores before and after treatment.Results: The post-treatment VAS, PSQI, and McGill scores were significantly decreased in all patients (P < 0.05), and all three scores in ultrasound-guided C2 dorsal root ganglion PRF combined with SGB were lower than those in ultrasound-guided SGB alone and ultrasound-guided C2 dorsal root ganglion PRF alone (P < 0.05).Conclusion: The use of ultrasound-guided C2 dorsal root ganglion PRF combined with SGB in patients with CHE is effective in alleviating pain and improving sleep, and deserves to be replicated in the clinic.Keywords: cervicogenic headache, C2 dorsal root ganglion, pulsed radiofrequency, stellate ganglion block

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